Only a handful of people in the United States have coached women’s soccer at the highest level, and the list gets even smaller when you look for a successful body of work.

Sky Blue FC has not exactly had the best of luck in its coaching choices, going through five in the first two years of Women’s Professional Soccer. But as we enter what could be a make-or-break year for the league, Sky Blue will do so led by a man whose résumé is unparalleled over the past decade.

Jim Gabarra, who spent the past 10 years with the Washington Freedom, first in the WUSA and then in WPS, makes his debut Sunday night for Sky Blue, which opens its season against the Philadelphia Independence at Yurcak Field at 6 p.m. on the campus of Rutgers University.

“I’m really happy to be here,” said Gabarra, who won the WUSA championship in 2003 and led the Freedom to the WPS playoffs the past two seasons. “It’s been a very good preseason and I’ve been supported very well by Sky Blue ownership.”

With another offseason that featured both expansion and the folding of seemingly established teams, many players became free agents. Gabarra took advantage of that to revamp the roster.

“I knew there were going to be a lot of free agents and a lot of turnover in teams and it offered me an opportunity to take a good base, a good core in Sky Blue, and also have the freedom to add some different players through free agency.”

Among those to depart were New Jersey natives Carli Lloyd and team captain Christie Rampone, as well as fan favorite Natasha Kai.

“Atlanta was looking to get out of some guaranteed contracts,” Gabarra said. “We had a good opportunity to get three proven players. We took on some bigger contracts and it made it difficult for us on the back side of our roster, but we got some proven players.”

Heath, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 WPS Draft, only played three games with the Beat before she suffered a fractured ankle and torn ligaments that ended her season. Aluko, with 15 goals, has been one of the better scorers in the league and Kerr, Gabarra says, is on the cusp of being a national team-level player.

Also returning is goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, who broke her collarbone while training for the All-Star Game last season.

April 2, Bardsley played an excellent match for England, which beat the United States, 2-1, in a friendly.

While Sky Blue has not excelled during the regular season (7-8-5 in 2009, 7-10-7 in 2010), it seems to be the most stable franchise in the league, which is another factor that attracted Gabarra.

“I thought the first year they overachieved. They weren’t as good as they were in the final run (to winning the championship),” Gabarra said. “I don’t think they were as bad as their record made them out to be last year. We were fortunate to keep six or seven of those players.

“I like the chemistry of the team so far.”

Heath, happy to be back in New Jersey, believes Gabarra is the right coach to lead the team into such a critical year.

“It’s nice having a well-established coach,” she said. “You know kind of what to expect and you don’t question his decision-making. He’s going to be great for this team.

“He has an idea of how he wants to play and he has the right players to play that way. I’m glad he’s here and I’m happy to start working under him.